Do you want to make some predictions on the NBA bubble seeding games? Download PropMe from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and join The Belly Up Sports NBA Bubble Contest. It’s free to play and you can guess if the Pacers will be able to hole on to the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference without Oladipo. (Look, Dipo had declared that he would sit out when we put this together, okay. Just take the easy W and don’t at us!) and so much more. The winner will receive $50, merch from the Belly Up Store, and be invited to be a guest on the Hardcourt Hunnies podcast!
Indiana has impressed everyone this season. If you thought that the Raptors would maintain form without Kawhi, that the Heat would emerge as a top team in the East, that Victor Oladipo would play 13 games all season and that the Pacers would somehow still survive as the fifth seed then your name is probably Reggie Miller.
Marvel-less
When healthy, Victor Oladipo is (was?) the Indiana Pacers best player and first scoring option. The 2018 NBA Most Improved Player is one of the sneakiest offensive weapons in the league when all his tendons and muscles are in order. Here is the latest news on Chadwick… I mean Oladipo’s return:
Indiana Pacers star Victor Oladipo intends to suit up during the NBA’s restart if he continues to progress through his rehab.
Chicco Nacion, theScore
This would be well-received news to fans, but their roster can give any team an unpleasant 48 minutes regardless. Nate McMillan has developed a great culture in Indiana, surviving the loss of Paul George without spiraling out of control. In a market that does not win any competitive free agent bids, such a stable foundation is a necessity.
For the sake of an interesting preview, and in response to the latest news on Oladipo’s health, I’ll assume that he will suit up in Orlando.
So… About That First Option
If you’re among the most optimistic and consider the Pacers title contenders, you need to admit that the idea of a true first option doesn’t really exist here. T.J. Warren, Domantas Sabonis, and Malcolm Brogdon were Indiana’s three highest per-game scorers this season.
Warren’s 18.7 PPG led the team, and his 37.5 3P percentage was first among regular starters. He’s established himself as a key player in Indiana’s offense in just his first season there, but his consistency suggests there is no other level for him to unlock. He continues to exhibit holes in his defensive game, but the Pacers stingy team defense can more than make up for it.
Sabonis has shown fantastic progress en route to his first All-Star nomination. He has enjoyed significant increases in points, assists, and rebounds. At the young age of 23, he is clearly a franchise building block for this rising unit. He draws comparisons to Kevin Love, at least according to Bleacher Report, who ranked him the fifth-best power forward in the league this past season. The Gonzaga product has all the potential you could ask for, and will certainly continue to get better. Whether or not he will show that progress two weeks from now is a huge TBD. It’s much safer to assume he will continue to be what he was before the break, but watch out for what he might bring later on.
Malcolm Brogdon has had an up-and-down season, and if he is to contribute in the playoffs he must find his early-season form. To say he has struggled from deep (typically a trademark of his) is putting things gently. He does have the ability to be better. We’ve seen it. He just needs to show us.
Myles Turner and Jeremy Lamb, despite their six-inch height difference, put up similar production when it comes to points, shooting, and assists. Both are good offensive players, but won’t explode to steal a playoff game.
Doug McDermott, Aaron Holiday, and Justin Holiday also provide similar services on offense. They are all very good three-point shooters. Aaron Holiday is a good enough playmaker to have earned himself 26 starts, but McDermott and Justin Holiday have 2 between them.
Defense Wins Championships
Defense is by far Indiana’s greatest asset. They rank seventh in team defensive rating and would be nowhere near the fifth seed without such a performance.
Myles Turner does not let points come easily at the rim. His 6.5 BLK percentage is a step back from 8.4 in 2018-19, but it still amounts to the fourth-highest total in the NBA. He is the rock of this defense, and that is extremely promising for a man of his age.
The last time he played a full season, Oladipo was one of the league’s best defenders. If Indiana keeps teams up at night in the playoffs, its because he’ll be working his magic. Brogdon, Lamb, and Sabonis are all very good defensive players too and deserve to be recognized as a fearsome group.
With all this defensive talent, it still takes someone to draw up X’s and O’s. Head coach Nate McMillan deserves more credit than he gets for how well he’s done his job. He truly is an underrated coach, and I suspect he will get rewarded at the NBA Awards in the future.
My Expectations
This team is very good. They can sneak up on the powerhouses every once in a while and pull out a gutsy win. It’s also a team that can struggle to score at times and might be without their star. Of the eight games listed above, I suspect Indiana wins between three to six of them, potentially usurping Miami for the fourth seed in the East.
Either way, they are probably playing Miami in the first round, a series they are capable of winning. However, I don’t see them going any further than that. It’s been an impressive season from these Pacers, and I’m excited to watch them play.
